Overview

Good Samaritan Laws Are Designed to Protect the Person Helping as well as the Responder and Vary from State to State. Many people are concerned about providing basic first aid to those who might require assistance, however, the vast majority of laws are setup to protect you as long as you are following the training provided here and/or standards of acceptable behavior.

These laws will help to prevent you from being successfully sued in the court of law and provide a reasonable degree of protection as long as you are acting in good faith and not performing skills above your knowledge/certification/training level.

Abandonment

Abandonment is when you go to help a person and then you leave in the middle of providing assistance, with the exception of safety reasons. By leaving, you must cause direct harm to the person in need. This is very hard to prove, however since the injury must be in direct relation to what was left undone.

An example of this would be taking a person out of a car after a wreck and leaving them in the middle of the road in danger of being run over. In order to avoid these situations, be sure to use common sense and be careful.

Invasive Techniques

A Word About Invasive Techniques
Invasive techniques are medical procedures which penetrate the person's body. Starting an IV, performing surgery, using an ink pen to give a tracheotomy or giving emergency medications would be considered invasive for example. Avoid these situations as they may create liability for you

First Responder Laws

Differ from Good Samaritan Laws in Some States

First Responders are Often Part of an Organization in Charge of Going to Emergency Calls

First Responders are Held to a Higher Standard

EMS Medical Professionals

First Responders
These personnel are trained in First Aid. They have a pretty good understanding about basic anatomy and physiology. The course to become a first responder generally lasts from 40-80 hours depending on where and how it is taught. There are now national standards for First Responders so they are considered to fall under a more professional category legally.

EMT-Basics
Both certified and licensed, depending on the state, EMT-Basics are trained extensively in basic life support to include oxygen administration, ambulance operations, anatomy, physiology, specific diseases and injuries, as well as pathophysiology. EMT-Basics often assist Paramedics with the performance of skills. They have a standard accrediting body nationally and at the state level. All levels of EMTs must refresh their certifications at 2 year intervals.

EMT-Intermediates
EMT-Intermediates, are trained in basic and advanced life support. Their training is longer than EMT-Basics. There are currently two different kind of Intermediates. One with higher skills levels than the others.

EMT-Paramedics
Commonly referred to as Paramedics, EMT-Paramedics are trained in invasive techniques, medication administration, basic and advanced life support, etc... Their training usually includes EMT-Basic certification, extra medical and science classes, and experience prior to acceptance into a training program.

Summary
It is important to know who these people are and what they do because they are the people you will be calling when you have an emergency or when you are rendering first aid to someone in need of assistance.